Without a strategy in place for the video you want to create, you may find yourself shouting into the social media abyss, and no one wants that.

Know your platforms

You need to consider the rules of each platform to get the best results.

It’s a tricky game, but well worth playing if you’re able to capture the attention of the platforms many users for your brand.

Things like uploading your video natively to the platform you are using can positively impact the results of your social media video.

So what should you know about each platform?

Facebook

With Facebooks algorithm changes being a huge factor in if your video even gets seen, you have to make sure you’re hooking users in the first frame if you want them to stick around.

So make sure you’re starting with something that will immediately catch your target audiences eye.

You’ll want something that is:

Short and timely.

Able to stand without sound (consider subtitles).

Compelling.

You’ll also want to consider the best video specs for your social media video.

For example: The standard video size for Facebook is 1280 by 720 pixels, however, if you want to use the video as an advert, and have it run through Facebook and Instagram, a square video (600 by 600 pixels) might be something to consider.

Twitter

On Twitter the platform is optimised to handle video captured on mobile devices meaning you can use both horizontal and vertical videos.

This is important to consider as 93% of video views on Twitter happen on mobiles, so selecting video specs that really show off your content, whilst being more suited to mobile viewing, may be what you want to aim for with this platform.

The recommended specs for this platform are: 1280 by 1024 pixels for horizontal videos, and 1200 by 1900 pixels for vertical.

Instagram

The wonderful thing about Instagram is that you have a choice about where to post your videos.

You have:

Instagram stories

A temporary 10-second vertical picture/video clip placed at the top of Instagram feed. They have been proven to drive huge engagement…if handled correctly.

Instagram posts

These go directly onto your profile, and the timeline. The key with these is to consider your hashtags, but more importantly, what time to post.

IGTV

This is the newest choice on this platform, and is a separate app made for just video. When videos get uploaded, they play automatically for followers using the IGTV app. Not to mention those who are following your Instagram account, will also be following your IGTV account…plus you’ll get a longer video length.

The video options on this platform offer variety, but it does require that you consider the different specs each video type requires.

Other platforms

If you want to choose a different social media platform, such as LinkedIn, Pinterest or Google Plus, all these platforms also come with their own sets of rules for video, but we’d be happy to talk you through them.

Want help with your social media videos?

If you’ve decided that you want to get a video production agency to create some pretty effective social media videos for your video marketing, Birmingham and London are where we’re based, although we have clients right across Europe.

Why don’t you find out how this video marketing agency can get you the most out of social media?